Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Since forged, Breakdown knew that he belonged to the race track.

The young and ambitious racer could spend days watching races on any holovids he could find, and tried to involve in any chances of speed test. Breakdown didn't know in what way he had persuaded his mates, the Stunticons, to run laps with him when they hung out, but he was glad they agreed, though most of them were not very interested. The most intrigued bot was Drag Strip as his competitive nature wouldn't let himself be beaten in anything. But then they all got bored as Breakdown kept outrunning them in every competition they hosted. Couldn't blame the white and blue racer, he was built with speed, and it didn't take him long to figure out about his energon booster. Breakdown swore that he could win all of his mates with his optics shut. 

Then, Breakdown turned his attention to bigger competitions, where race tracks were longer and more dangerous than those places he used to practice in, where numerous talented competitors gathered to burn their engines. And at that moment he was talking about the seasonal race on Velocitron, the hometown of anything born with speed, of course. With all of his courage and very motivational speeches of “whatever”, “suit yourself” from his mates, he registered for the race. It sounded daring and stupid, he claimed, but he wanted to try at least once, to be among real racers, even if it would end with him being the last one to reach the finish line.

And just that, the seasonal racing tournament on Velocitron had ended, with a new champion.

Breakdown didn't think it was that easy, to be honest. No one was able to catch up with him, a newbie, during the race. No offense to the other racers but it's like he was racing alone in some abandoned stadium, not on a real track. He heard some rumors that said this season didn't have the former champions racing in it, which was probably the reason why Breakdown had no difficulty surpassing every other opponent.

And it frustrated him. It was his first real race ever and he didn't even have a real competition. Did other racers even race at their full speed? He did pull out his full speed though, just to stay away from the slackers and to draw eyes on him. But it seemed that nobody actually talked about the winner, the current champion. There were only complaints about how boring it was, and endless praises about the previous season champion, and wishes that they were in the race.

Right, it were other famous racers that the audiences wanted. Breakdown? He was just a rookie, a newbie, not some famous celebrity who had raced for vorns or anything. For the record, Breakdown didn't really want attention, he just... wanted to be acknowledged from other strangers rather than his current companions.

No point in staying for the ending ceremony anymore, Breakdown thought to himself as he slipped through the exiting crowd. The young racer was extremely disappointed, and no one could see that. Maybe he should have checked the competitors list before enrolling for the race. Or maybe he shouldn’t have attended this tournament at all and instead went for a race with other Stunticons. He would win them again, like every time, but at least he wouldn’t be disappointed or be humiliated in front of thousands of bots. He just yearned for a good race in the tournament he had loved for a while, but reality struck him hard.

Breakdown was lost in his chain of thought and ended up bumping into something in the middle of the crowd. He heard the sound of boxes dropped as he came back to reality.

“ ’Cuse… huh?”. Breakdown looked around the sea of people. He was sure he had stumbled on something, or maybe someone. Took a while for him to look down and notice a tiny yellow figure, with a small pair of horns on the head and a shaky pair of door wings behind, struggling below near his pedes.

“I’m so so sorry, sir…” The small bot apologized while clumsily gathered all the stuff that scattered everywhere. Looking at all of the containers, this must be a delivery bot.

Breakdown stood there for a while before starting to pick up boxes. He wasn’t in a hurry or something, helping him a little wouldn’t hurt. And the crowd had been thinned out, making it easier to bend down. On the other hand, he wondered how this little sparkling-sized bot could carry all of the deliveries through that mess of bots and alike. “Here.” Breakdown handed him the already collected and stocked upon each other. “It was my fault, too. I wasn’t payin' attention. Sorry.”

“Thank you so much!” The little mech gazed upon Breakdown with a smile, until he paused and started to gasp in surprise. “Hold on… You’re Breakdown! The winner of the race earlier!”

The sudden realization from the yellow mech made Breakdown’s optics widened. The bot continued. “I saw you through the holo-screen outside. You were amazing, and so fast, able to keep such a large distance from other racers. An absolute win!” He beamed brightly.

It had been a few cycles since Breakdown won the race and this was the first compliment he received. There was, at least, a bot who had actually watched him race. It warmed his spark a bit. He wished more people would come and do the same thing, but this alone was enough to pull back a little confidence in him.

“Nah, I ain't that fast, but thanks.” Breakdown tried to be humble toward his new “fan”.

“Believe me, you are that fast.” What came out of the yellow’s voice box stunned Breakdown a little. “I’ve seen numerous races before. And every fan knows the best way to analyze speed is looking at the time record as every tournament has the same track. Yours is just a few nano-kliks away from Blurr, the last season champion! Which means you’re also one hell of a speed demon, Breakdown!”

The little mech didn’t stop there, leaving no pause for Breakdown to catch up. He just stood there, completely speechless. And he thought he was already the biggest fan of racing. It's like the bot was actually in the race, not outside watching through some screens. The amount of praise he had given to Breakdown might have exceeded the total amount that the white and blue racer had received from the day he came online until just now, although it was not really that long. Was he happy? Yes, but also a bit overwhelmed. Luckily Breakdown could at least understand everything he said. Who knew such a small figure could blabber that much?

“Alright, alright.” Breakdown held the little bot’s pauldrons before he could say anything more. Apparently he didn't even plan to stop talking. “I really appreciate your… dedicated observation you have spent on my race. You have my gratitude, kiddo.” Aside from that, this alone would be enough to save Breakdown from an awful day ahead.

“Thanks! Wait… Hey!” The mech suddenly shrugged off Breakdown’s servo with a pout face. “For the record, I'm not a “kiddo” okay? I'm pretty old enough for a job. You’re fast, but that’s rude.”

It was rather hard not to believe the mech was much like a sparkling, as cute even. He was standing straight and couldn't even reach Breakdown's chassis, which made the racer let out a snort. “Well your size didn’t match up ha ha…” He didn't want to sound rude, but Primus, he couldn't help it. Obviously that had irritated the smaller mech, and he grumpily picked up all of the containers, shoved Breakdown aside then left without saying another word.

"Uh... Bye, then?" Breakdown felt a bit sorry, he could still see that the yellow one was still pouting as he walked away. That bot had cheered him up and instead of thanking him, Breakdown, accidentally, mistreated him as a sparkling. Not a good second impression at all . He blamed it for the way his gestalt mates usually treated him. They didn't use flowery words for each other that much, just mocking and cussing, so he was kind of used to it, and clearly was affected by it, too. Therefore, he wanted to apologize to the bot, if he got a chance to meet him again. Yes, he would apologize...

...

Wait, what was that bot's name?

Ah, scrap. Breakdown had his servo on his face. He didn't even remember to ask for his name. Another bad impression. Well, the racer wouldn't bother. If they couldn't see each other again, then good for the yellow bot for having escaped a bad relationship with someone like Breakdown, as he thought to himself.

Or at least he believed it would be like that.

___

The next day, Breakdown got a treat from all of his mates at Maccadam's Old oil house for winning the race. He wouldn't say it, but he was glad that they had watched the race, either to cheer him up or to mock him if he lost (he was pretty sure it was the latter). Although he did wish for a break day alone to go for a practice race, again, spending time with them a bit wouldn't hurt. They were all eager to treat him, and he couldn't say no.

Eventually, most of them got drunk and started to wander off by themselves, messing around with other bots in the oil house and singing nonsense. Breakdown was too used to that. He hadn't even gone for the third shot there. He would always be the only one trying to stay awake for a drive. And he felt like he needed one at the moment.

A tap on one of his mates' pauldrons, a lame excuse, and Breakdown was ready to get out for another drive around the city. But first thing first, he had to find a way to get out of the packed oil house. It was the weekend anyway, even the exit was blocked by bots. Trying to break out of there was one hell of a task. In the end, Breakdown managed to have one of his pedes out of the house, but he got one arm and leg getting sandwiched by two bots who were trying to enter and got pulled back inside. Using all of his strength, he finally yanked himself out, and ended up with a crash on something, again.

He seriously needed to get away from the packed place for a while.

"Ow..."

Breakdown heard a grunt beneath him. Not again... It hadn't been a day and he already hit people two times. He quickly pulled back from the bot.

"Sorry, I slip- Wait." Breakdown let out a small gasp seeing a familiar yellow figure in front of him. Cybertron was round, after all. "It's you, the mini-bot, from yesterday!"

The "mini-bot" heard that, recognised Breakdown and was not very happy. Breakdown immediately realized his mistake and held a servo over his derma.

"For the last time, I'm not mini!" He huffed, as he smacked away the reaching servo from Breakdown. He then quickly got up, sweeping dust off his frame. "Didn't know I would see you again that fast. And you're still rude. Now, move away before I do some damage to you."

A bit of curiosity rose inside Breakdown's chassis. He wouldn't admit it but he kind of wanted to know how much damage could this mini-sized bot do on him. However, he quickly shook it off. That was not what he should think of at the moment. Focus... Don't do anything stupid, again...

"W-Wait, hold on for a sec-" Breakdown shifted himself so he could be aligned in front of the other bot. "Look... I'm sorry for seeing ya like sparkling. I shouldn't judge bots from the way they look. I know I made you mad, but I got no bad thoughts about you, really." Breakdown scratched his helm as he bowed down a bit. He was being sincere and he hoped that the yellow bot could see that too. "And thanks, again, for watching me race yesterday. Everything you've said back there made my day. We cool?"

A servo reached out waiting for a response.

The bot hummed for a while, then took Breakdown's servo, looking less angry than just now. Fortunately for the white and blue racer, this bot seemed easy to chill out. His servo disappeared in Breakdown's grasp. " 'Kay, apologies accepted. Aside from that, you were amazing back there."

They both smiled at each other. It was a big relief for Breakdown, too. He had got himself a fan after so long so why not try to keep them?

There were packages on the ground, so Breakdown assumed the bot were on his delivery duties again. Even on weekends?   The addresses on the lying packages were all stated at the suburb of Iacon, the rear of the city. Not only did people make him work on weekends, but also forced him to go that far. Breakdown might have mistaken him for a sparkling but at least he wouldn't be this cold-hearted.

A crazy intention just popped up inside Breakdown's processor.

"Can I help with that?" Breakdown said as he pointed to one of the packages.

"Uh... sure? Thanks."

Didn't take them too much time to gather all the stuff (They did it once, anyway). The yellow bot was holding half of the boxes, while Breakdown was keeping the other halfs. He tried not to laugh at how the other one nearly disappeared behind those containers. For now, the lone drive could wait, as he had got himself another way to release his steam.

Breakdown immediately changed into his vehicle mode, with all of the packages loaded inside his subspace.

"Wait, what are you doing?" The smaller mech was confused. "That's my..."

He didn't have time to question as Breakdown already started his engine. "Thought I could help ya a bit. It'll be a good practice run, as well. Besides, you've agreed to let me help, ain't ya?"

Frankly, Breakdown had never tried delivery jobs, or rather, his team had never chosen any delivery jobs and he wasn't quite fond of deciding for the team. The Stunticons usually let Motormaster decide what they would do (or he would go on a rampage), and they never had the same job for more than 2 weeks. It wouldn't hurt if he wanted to try something he hadn't done. He was actually surprised that none of his mates ever thought of taking this job.

Breakdown didn't know why, but he got a feeling this would be fun.

"You...! I thought you just wanna help picking up!" The smaller bot yelped, transforming at the same time. "Do you even know where to deliver them??? If anything happens to those packages I will be-"

"Believe me, I know every corner of this city." Smoke came out of Breakdown's rims as he revved his engine. "You will thank me, goldie. In the meantime, try to catch up."

The bot said he loved watching races, right? Then Breakdown would give him gratitude by letting him know what it felt to actually be in it. He didn't even wait for responses. Engines roared, and Breakdown already scorched ahead. He ran a few laps around the square, showing off some moves while dodging other vehicles on the road. There were no actual street rules, in Breakdown's perspective. If no one got hurt then everything would be fine. The white and blue Stunticon had raced around Iacon for eons, he didn't lie when he said he knew the track like the back of his servo. The delivery trip would be a piece of cake.

At some point, Breakdown adjusted his rear view mirror. It surprised him that he still saw that yellow bot somewhat behind him, honking in despair, with some yelling about "give me back my stuff blah blah blah". .. The distance was clear, but not much. Although the young racer hadn't pulled out his full speed, it was kind of impressive seeing such a small vehicle could reach this level of velocity. The movement was rough, but he got potential. Not even a klik later did the yelling get louder as the bot sped up and got closer to Breakdown. It was crazy for Breakdown that this bot had reached the top speed of Drag Strip, and he wasn't done yet. Every time Breakdown sensed the possibility of being caught up, more speed was added up onto his wheels. It seemed that his opponent wasn't giving up that easily, since he kept appearing in Breakdown's view with a nearly constant distance.

And it excited Breakdown, a lot.

The feeling of being tailed, the thrill from the thought of having someone nearly catching up with, the fright from the possibilities that your opponent might surpass you. This... This was exactly what Breakdown wanted in a race. And it came from a complete stranger, whose size was that of the sparklings. The Stunticons had stopped giving him this sensation for a while, and at that moment, it was coming back. Breakdown hadn't given it all out, but he was already impressed enough. It was a pity that this out-of-no-where race had to stop because they had nearly arrived at the destination, and after a few more laps, the smaller mech seemed to have reached his limit since the gap between them was growing larger every klik.

As expected, Breakdown was the first to cross the "finish line”. The suburb area was pretty empty so there were no audiences cheering for the winner. But Breakdown had a blast, with or without anyone watching the high speed chase. It was the sensation that mattered. He would definitely consider delivery jobs later on.

Speaking of delivery, Breakdown shifted back into his bot mode and unsubspaced all of the packages. He was on duty so he had to finish that. A klik later, his new companion slid through and stopped in front of him, transformed back into bot mode and vented hard. 

The bot was furious as he tried to stand up straight. But Breakdown wasn't feeling afraid. The face he was making at the moment was the face of someone finding out a lost treasure. 

“What… were you THINKING?!” Breakdown got his packages yanked from his servo. If he wasn't so much taller than the other mech, he would likely be punched in the face right now. “You acted on your own, you broke speed limits, and most importantly, you messed with my job! You are the most reckless idiot I've ever met!”

“But the packages were safe and I arrived at the correct location, yeah?” 

“You… did. But at least give people a warning! Do you know how hard I've tried chasing your tailpipe?! I thought I would crash into something and offline myself!” The small mech never once turned his optics away from Breakdown, trying to look as fierce as possible. Was it just a personal feeling or short stack just naturally looking cute when angry? “Next time, think before you act, you aft-head. Do you have anything to say for yourself?” His pedes stomped, waiting for a proper apology for the racer who had put his spark on risk back there.

“Of course. Can I know your name?” Breakdown asked casually. 

“Yes, my… Huh?” The bot kept getting one surprise after another. 

Just a day ago Breakdown thought he would never have the chance to apologize, but then he had it. And just now, he had been given a good race from his opponent. It would be insane of him if he let this opportunity to know the bot slip away again. “You didn't tell me your name. I ain’t leaving without knowing nothing about my racing rival. You're not fast enough but that was one hell of a performance you got back there.”

"I…Wha…I mean…” Blue optics blinked. The yellow bot shook his head in confusion. "Rival? Performance? No no no, I'm not a racer. I'm just a normal delivery bot. You were the one who forced me to roll!”

"And you got the potential to be a racer, ki- I mean, dude.” Close call. It just didn't sit right when he called him by pronoun for grown-ups. "I got a feeling you don't just love racing, you wanna be in it. You got the speed back there, just need more touch up and you're ready to hit the track.”

The compliment somehow soothed the yellow bot a bit as he flushed, optics gazed down on the floor. Clearly Breakdown had said the truth. “I… did, sometimes, being called fast… And racing… is kinda fun…” 

Breakdown chuckled. “Here, hand me your arm.”

Breakdown grabbed the tiny arm before the other bot could react. With a few clicks on the display popped up on it, a coordinate was saved into the smaller mech's HUD. “This is where I usually run laps. Secret practice spot, in return for whatever I have done to you. If you're interested, and free, meet me here tomorrow afternoon. What do ya say?”

Blue optics flickered, staring down at the location on his arm holo-display. “I don't usually give out any of my personal hideouts. Actually, you're the first one aside from my gang that I invited to this spot. You amazed me, ya know?” Breakdown continued. It had been a long time since the last time he complimented anyone. 

The bot stood there for a while, before turning his back to Breakdown, grabbed his stuff and started to walk away. 

Was that a denial? Breakdown let out a sigh. Technically, that was the correct response after every annoying thing Breakdown had done to him, and of course this attempt would fail as well. A glimpse of regret rose inside his chassis. Maybe this would be the last time they saw each other…

“Bumblebee.”

Golden optics shot back up at the sound. “What?”

“The name is Bumblebee.” Bumblebee had stopped as he repeated himself. Once he was confirmed that Breakdown had heard his name, he walked away again, with a small servo wave this time. 

It was a yes. Not sure Bumblebee could see, but Breakdown couldn't be happier right now.

___

Engines roared in an abandoned arena. A white and blue car was leaving wheel tracks around the empty field. The condition of the arena was quite in ruins, with rocks and cyber matter crackling everywhere, but not too crumbling. The grandstand still functioned, and the debris also made perfect obstacles. Just a few cycles of clean up and it became a good spot for racing. Breakdown's tendency to roam around Cybertron had led him to this secured and amazing practice field to let off some steam. 

Usually his team would be here to hang around or wrestle each other, but Breakdown had informed them first that he wanted to train himself for the upcoming race in Iacon, and they didn't want to be here for cycles just to watch him running around. It was perfect for a secret meeting, as Breakdown wasn't sure introducing Bumblebee to them that early is a good idea, if the yellow bot did show up. He didn't have high hopes for this. Bumblebee was a pretty busy bug, in Breakdown's view, and it was the beginning of a new week. The chances of him appearing at this arena, located in the middle of nowhere, was not quite promising. What if Breakdown was wrong about Bumblebee's love for racing? What if the name exchange was just an act of politeness?

Breakdown had underestimated his invitation.

“How on Cybertron did you find this place?” Bumblebee walked into the arena in awe. His occupation did help him to explore more places than just Iacon, but he had only set foot in residential areas like cities. He had never imagined one day he would be bold enough to roam somewhere so empty and isolated. Bumblebee was clearly not used to being alone. Fortunately, he didn't get lost on the way there, or, still alive.

Breakdown immediately slid through and transformed back into his bot mode. He had to hold himself from jumping in excitement. Gotta keep it rational. “Welcome to my not-so secret hideout. Good to see ya. I know you wouldn’t turn down this offer.” Bumblebee didn't need to know, just a few kliks ago, Breakdown was so paranoid about him not showing up here.

"Yeah, well… I'm curious.” Bumblebee intertwined his digits together. "And I have no orders today so… I want to check out what you've said about my speed. B-But I’m still mad at you, okay? Don’t you dare think I have forgiven you!”

Sure, sure. Breakdown didn’t really mind it. What he did was pretty selfish and reckless of himself, and also all of this. He didn’t deserve forgiveness. But Bumblebee came here, eventually, despite telling the bigger mech he was still angry at him. Adorable, perhaps. Breakdown started to think the yellow bot was weak before praises. Would he overuse that sudden realization? Probably. 

“Believe me, Bee, you got that racer in you.” Breakdown tapped Bee’s pauldron. “Now, let's focus on our purpose here. The rules are, there are no rules. 5 laps around the arena, whoever finishes first wins. Got it?”

Bumblebee shook his helm. “Wait, that’s it? We just jump straight to racing?” Someone clearly skipped all of the “first step to get along” classes, if there were actually any of those. “And are you sure this place is safe??? What should I do with all of the debris???”

“Anything. It's a race! Ya don't need more explanation than…” Breakdown ran ahead, did a flip then transformed into his alt-mode. “... speed .”

Didn't wait for any reaction, Breakdown already started speeding up. Bumblebee quickly got himself together as he transformed and followed up. For the record, the yellow bot had only watched racing through holovids and TVs, not participated in them. And race tracks usually didn't have holes or rocks appearing in front of his way. Bumblebee had a hard time avoiding obstacles as he tried to catch up with Breakdown. He didn't even know how to use any moves or tricks to race. Other racers had done this so easily, and he had analyzed all of that, so why couldn't he do the same?! The only thing in his mind right now was rolling as fast as he could, while keeping himself unscathed. 

This could be one of Bumblebee's dumbest things he accepted to do. But the race had begun, so he must finish it. He wanted to race for a long time, but never imagined that his first race would be like this. And he couldn't figure out how to catch up with Breakdown, who had already finished the first lap. The distance was too large, and there were too many obstacles stopping him from speeding up. If there was nothing on the track, he believed he could have at least closed the gap between them. Eventually, Bumblebee had an idea. He tried to imagine the time he went on deliveries, with scattered debris turning into cars and bots on the street. Oh and, maybe, he was being chased for speeding on the road. Yes… If it was just a normal delivery trip…

After one lap, Bumblebee gained better control of his agility and flexibility. He was now able to avoid debris with ease and even able to use his small and compact build to slip through gaps between rocks. His quick envision of him had helped him a lot. He somehow managed to speed up and, hopefully, he could reach Breakdown. More power pushed down to his wheels, and by the time Breakdown finished his second lap, Bumblebee was only a few mechanometers away from him.

To be blunt, Breakdown was going easy on his newest opponent. Well, he even started first, so that should be it. He knew Bumblebee needed some time to get used to the track, but didn’t know it would be that quick. Wildrider had crash landed into a large crack in the middle of the track on the first time racing here, while trying to knock off Drag Strip out of the way. Breakdown did try to remind them to focus on the race, but ended up using his whole practice session to pull Wildrider out of the hole. To actually manage to concentrate in this place while going at top speed was not something a newbie could acquire. Bumblebee got some serious potential there.

So, he decided not to hold back any longer. Wheel spinned faster, energon pumped quicker, and the velocity began to rise higher. Although he much loved the feeling of being tailed, he didn’t intend to lose the race either. Breakdown also had his pride. By the time Bumblebee got so close to his tailpipe, he blasted forward, earning a gasp from his opponent. When they were both near the end of the third lap, Breakdown used a slope on the ground to fly over the shortcut and successfully finished the third lap. 

“Hey!!! That’s not fair!!!” Yelled the yellow bot from behind. “Cheater!!!”

“No rules, remember?” Breakdown laughed back and scorched forward. Just this once, he thought to himself. He didn’t like cheating, really.

“What kind of a racer would cheat on a newbie?!” Bumblebee huffed. Both of them were in their fourth lap now and speed kept accumulating every klik. Something was rising up inside Bumblebee’s engine, but he didn’t notice. “You said like you were afraid that I would surpass you!”

The white and blue car frowned. Afraid? Breakdown was forged to face danger on wheels. And no rules are no rules. Bumblebee not utilizing that didn’t mean he would be fair, too. That was the real race. That was what other racers would do during the race, what they should have done for Breakdown to at least have a real chance to be afraid.

“I’m just showing you some tricks. No way you could surpass me. I didn’t even go full speed!’’ Breakdown wasn’t wrong when he said that. His energon booster hadn’t been used once. He got a feeling that there would be no need for that as he noticed the gap between them hadn’t changed. He was a race car, and Bumblebee was just a delivery bot. Surely the bot had potential, but there’s no way he could reach this level of speed, he thought…

…Until a sound of energon accumulating behind got his attention. 

Breakdown didn’t activate his energon booster, so it couldn’t be coming from him. That would only mean…

“Well!!! I don’t… want to lose, eithe- WOOOAHHH!!!!” Bumblebee didn’t have the chance to finish the sentence, as beams of energy escaped from his tailpipes, blasted him ahead and over Breakdown’s roof. Fourth lap was completed and Bumblebee was taking the lead as his energon booster kept pushing him forward uncontrollably. 

He got an energon booster, too? Breakdown was in shock. But now was not the time to be surprised. He quickly activated his energon booster and sped up. Luckily, Bumblebee is having a hard time controlling his booster. He almost crashed into obstacles a few times before he got his wheels back on the track as the booster wore off. It seemed that Bumblebee wasn’t used to the booster, and that was Breakdown’s chance to take the lead. He sprinted through Bumblebee’s side before doing a final kick on his booster, blasting off and reaching the finish line, with Bumblebee arriving a few nano-kliks later.

Bumblebee said that he was scared, and he actually was. Breakdown won, again, but that… was terrifying. And at the same time, thrilling. Just exactly what he needed. 

“See? You could never outrun me.” Breakdown then switched back to his bot mode. The same with Bumblebee. However, it seemed that Bumblebee didn’t care much about who won the race. Like Breakdown, he was shocked as well. The booster thingy was completely new to the yellow bot. It wasn’t like he had been told about every kibble inside his bio-mechanism. Bumblebee felt like he was just blown off for a while back there. And now, he just sat there in disbelief, optics staring down on the hard ground. 

Realizing the situation, Breakdown stepped up to Bumblebee and kneeled in front of him. “You… uh… okay there, Bee?” He waved his servo in front of Bumblebee’s optics to catch his attention. “Ya know, took me a while to control my energon booster, too. You’re still new, you will get the hang of it later.” 

Energon booster, if not practicing to use it properly, it could be pretty dangerous. To be clear, it acted like a weapon, as it took up Energon and fired it backward to increase velocity. But too much Energon intake could harm any bot standing behind it, while too little of Energon would result in nothing. Not every bot carried this type of equipment inside. It was like blind boxes with low rates and not many people actually wanted it. But for a racer, this could be the ticket to victory. Breakdown had scared off his mates a few times before he learned how to control it, and it enhanced his performance a lot.

Nevertheless, Breakdown would understand if Bumblebee was afraid of it. He wouldn’t be surprised if the smaller mech wouldn’t want to race, or ever rolled with top speed again. It would be a shame, though. Not every day Breakdown could actually practice with someone that was also fast enough to be his rival and had energon booster. 

Bumblebee started to shift. Well… Breakdown had prepared himself for any distress complaints coming from Bumblebee.

“I…”

“It’s alright… You don’t have to force yourself to race with me anymore… You can lea-”

“I HAVE ENERGON BOOSTER!!!!”

… What? Once again, Breakdown was shocked.

Bumblebee suddenly jumped up. His optics widened and sparkled like stars. He kept shaking which made Breakdown thought he was having a seizure or something. The bigger mech reached out a servo, intended to calm him down, but Bumblebee quickly took it with both servos and squeezed hard, while staring at Breakdown with the biggest smile he had. 

“I actually have energon booster!!! The thing that racers like you possess!!! It's like I was flying!!! And I'm not even dreaming!!!” Bumblebee laughed hard. “You saw that too, right?! I even surpassed you for a few nano-kliks and that's so cool!!!”

Breakdown felt like the bot was about to explode. But he was glad that Bumblebee wasn't afraid of his hidden weapon. He could feel the joy pumping through his tiny body, out of his optics and faceplate. This was also the kind of joy Breakdown had experienced when he found out about his own booster, too. It was nostalgic, to be honest.

“Okay okay.” Breakdown used his other servo to hold the yellow mech down, keeping him from shaking himself into pieces. He didn't realise that he was smiling, too. “That was just a nano-klik. I won the race, remember? You're still a bit too slow for me, goldie.” 

“It still counts! And not to mention you cheated!” Bumblebee stuck his tongue out at Breakdown.

When Breakdown raced with the Stunticons, he even got thrown rocks over his frame, crashed on his bumper, and laser beamed over his roof. If he wanted, he could have cheated the same way, done the same damage to Bumblebee to win the race easy peasy. But in fact, that was what his mates wanted, not what he wanted. That's why most of the race with them never got the chance to be finished. It always ended up with some of them getting injured and they all went to local medics to heal themselves. Were Breakdown mad at them? Yes, but not long. After all, they were friends, they're violent with each other, but never had any bad intentions for the other (he believed). And they even bore Breakdown's passion for racing. He still appreciated them a lot.

But… maybe this time he wanted to try something different. Try to be softer, aiming for the speed not the finish line. All of that for someone he just met a few days ago. It was weird, but he didn't hate it. Breakdown wanted Bumblebee to know what he felt too, at the same time didn't. It was not like they would race again after this, so it wouldn’t hurt him to be nice for a while.

“Come on, that was just one time. In fact, my first time. I said no rules, right?”

“Yeah right. You’re lucky that I forgot that.” Bumblebee crossed his arms together. “Besides, now that I know I have energon booster, I can practice with it and next time, I will win. Just you wait!”

“Nah, I doubt that… Wait, what?”

If Breakdown had a jar of saving and earned shanixes everytime Bumblebee made him surprised, he would have enough for a drink at Maccadam's. Though not much, he just met Bumblebee a few days ago and the yellow mech had successfully stunned him that many times already. 

“What did you just say?” Breakdown stared at the smaller bot.

“Huh? Just you wait?”

“No, before that.”

“Um… next time, I will win?”

There's a next time?!

So, not only Bumblebee wasn't mad at Breakdown for hosting this practice race in the middle of nowhere, inside a highly dangerous ruin, but also wanted to beat him next time . This time, it was Breakdown's turn to be delighted. Any effort of him holding back his happiness was now useless, as he started laughing uncontrollably, his servos grabbed Bumblebee and spinned him around. Couldn't blame him, he got a remarkable race and, perhaps, a new racing buddy! Numerous thoughts popped up inside Breakdown's processor, like where should they practice next, or which rules should be applied on the next race, or how would the Stunticons react about his new friend…

… 

New friend , huh? Bumblebee didn't quite look like the type that Breakdown usually hung out. He was pretty small, a bit too brightful. He was yellow, like Drag Strip, but calmer and softer, not too blinding, and definitely looking more adorable. He, perhaps, had a consistent occupation, which was deliveries, unlike Breakdown and his gang. And he didn't look like the violent type that would wrestle. A young, responsible and very good bot. In fact, he looked too good to be around anyone that Breakdown knew. Or, too good to be Breakdown’s friend.

Something told him that he should keep this relationship hidden from his other mates. He worried that as much as the Stunticons wouldn't like Bumblebee, the yellow bot wouldn't like them either. And if Breakdown kept making bad impressions, he would have to race alone again. It might sound weird, but after all of the interactions they had had, Breakdown really wanted to befriend Bumblebee, or at least, racing buddies.

"Uhhh… Breakdown? Can you… please, put me down?”

Breakdown didn't realize that he had been holding the smaller mech up by the waist and staring at him. He didn't know whether it was his fault or Bumblebee's since he just weighed like cotton. “Oh, sorry about that…” He gently put Bumblebee down. 

"Just now, why are you so happy?” Bumblebee questioned.

“What? I'm not allowed to? Like if you race me again, I will have another chance to beat ya. Double the fun.” Breakdown smirked at the smaller one. He received a low effort punch on the thigh. 

He continued. “Anyway, I’m thinkin’ about… where we should race next. In case you didn't catch, I have more than one hideout.” Technically, it was the Stunticons’ hideout, but Bumblebee didn't need to know that. After all, Breakdown was the one who found all of the spots. He got the right to keep them to himself for a while. “And yes, it'll be safer than this place. Sorry, again.”

“It's fine, if you tell me in advance that we're gonna race at some collapsing caverns!” Bumblebee stomped his pedes. He had fun, and, at the same time, the most life-threatening moment ever - for a second time. “On second thought, it better be safe. I wanna win you fair and square!”

The tricky part was to sort out any places that were safe enough for Bumblebee. Breakdown usually preferred having obstacles on the tracks for more entertainment. Only a few of the hideouts were qualified enough, but wouldn’t be long. His mates would make a mess again when they returned to those places. And others were too small to rev in, or they were the Stunticons’ recharge places. After a round of thoughts, Breakdown came back to the starting line. 

Breakdown remembered about the time when he first asked his mates for a race. At first, they would happily clean up the spot for it. They were all down for a challenge, but that was the past. Unfortunately, only Breakdown among them wanted to race now, so he had to do the clean up alone. But now, he was not by himself on the track anymore. If Bumblebee wanted to race again, he had to work for it, too. It would be great to once again have someone preparing race tracks along with. 

“About the safe part, I can’t fully assure…” Breakdown held Bumblebee back before he could say anything by raising a servo up. “... But it will be, if you help me clean it up. I, too, want our next race to happen, but I’m tired of preparing everything by myself. That's why this arena is still a mess, I managed to make a track but as you can see, not much.”

Just a week ago, his gang hosted a false combat here, firing laser and missile everywhere over the arena. Breakdown didn't think he would use this place again so early. Actually, he didn't think at all. Bumblebee just came up like a wind so he had to make quick decision.

“So… you cleaned up this whole place? Alone?” Bumblebee looked up at Breakdown. “You could have just waited for me to come and help, I'm also pretty good at cleaning. I've swept a whole bar in less than a cycle!” He buffed out his chassis. 

Breakdown stared at the confident little mech and laughed. Somehow, he liked that energy. “Nah, I dragged you to the race track, I should be responsible. But in the next race, you could help, if you want it to happen.”

Another offer. But Breakdown had high hopes for this, since Bumblebee was enthusiastic, too. 

"Of course I would help! Cleaning a place where I can beat you? Looking forward to it!”

And Bumblebee straightly agreed this time. Not hinted, not waited, not postponed. For a moment, Breakdown thought of not just the next race, but also the one after that, and another one following it, and so much more. Primus, he really wanted Bumblebee to be on his team if possible. 

“Dream on, slow poke. You're just a beginner.” 

"This beginner is about to kick your aft with his newest weapon!” Bumblebee tightened his fist. From this angle, Bumblebee somehow looked like a ball of sunshine, bashed in confidence. And just a day ago, he said that he was not a racer. 

Maybe he wasn't, and maybe Breakdown was the one who helped him find his passion. Breakdown wanted to believe that for now.

Stopping for a while, then Bumblebee continued. "Oh and… thank you, for helping me find out about it, and even preparing a race track for me. You're not bad at all. I didn't really think we could be friends before, but now we are! Meeting you is fun, Breakdown!” 

We're friends…

Breakdown felt like he had achieved something big. Like the main character in the video game after they beated the final boss, or the excavation team after they unearth some long lost treasures. It was not like he didn't make friends before, he got the Stunticons! However, something was telling him that Bumblebee was a great choice of bot to get along with. Was anybody that became his friend feeling like this too? Was this some kind of his inner power too, like his energon booster?

Maybe he should go to some prophets. It was weird that he felt like he needed to hear some foreshadowing. 

"Oh, y-yeah, of course. Me too. Nice meeting you, Bee.” For now, the important thing was that they're officially friends. Racing buddies, of course. What else would they be? “Let's… exchange comm-links?”

“Sure! I can't wait for our next race. Let's say, 2 days from now? I got work to do so I gotta clean my schedule first.” Bumblebee spoke as he typed the contacts onto Breakdown's display. 

“Busy-bee, huh? You really are not a sparkling.” Breakdown grinned while typing back. 

“Duh, of course! And stop with the teasing!” Bumblebee hissed at the taller mech. 

“Well, if you win next time, I will stop.” Breakdown leaned down at Bumblebee. “But I'm havin’ fun with this, too. So good luck, lil’ Bee.”

Bumblebee smirked back. Despite everything about his size, he was a tough bot, no doubt. “Oh, I'm gonna make you shut up.” And extremely confident, too. Like it was not the first time he tried to prove himself for something. 

Just that, their first race together had ended. And Breakdown almost forgot how frustrated he was about the first big race he had before he met Bumblebee. 

Chapter Text

Maybe the teasing would not be stopped soon. As expected, Breakdown had won the rematch. 

"Told ya. Where's that attitude you had last time, lil’ Bee~?”. Breakdown grinned, passing the mop to the yellow bot. 

"Oh just shut up. Next time, I'm sure of it.” Bumblebee scoffed as he yanked the object from Breakdown’s servo.

“Well ya better be hurry for that, slow poke.” A can of energy drink flew right into Breakdown’s helm. He just laughed it off. 

This time Breakdown chose one of the secret basements he had stumbled upon when he first fell down to the city's sewer. It was not as big as the previous abandoned arena, but large enough for burning wheels. Unfortunately, this was also the place the Stunticons hung out the most. There were game machines, cupboards, tables, dumbbells, and more to name. With the help of Bumblebee, they managed to create a large space for the race in the middle - and this time it was 10 laps. Bumblebee started to get a hang of his booster but that was not enough. Breakdown was always a klik or more faster than him. 

"You shouldda saved it for the last round, Bee. Hide your moves so your opponents can't use that against you.” Breakdown pushed a table to its original place, while Bumblebee was handling the chairs.

"It's so hard turning it on, or keeping it down. How could you do that so easily?” That question was not quite necessarily needed. Breakdown had raced way longer than Bumblebee. Of course he would control it better than him. And also, Breakdown was correct. The smaller bot was too hasty to activate the booster, making his movements unstable. He still had a lot to learn to actually race against other veterans. 

The two bots kept talking about racing techniques while rearranging the furniture in the basement. Cleaning after the race wasn't planned ahead, and not entirely necessary. Breakdown was just being careful, not because he raced in the Stunticon's personal resting place without notifying the rest of them. It was because the foreign wheel tracks on the floor would reveal his secret racing partner he had just earned. Lucky for him, Bumblebee also agreed to help after the race. According to Breakdown, he kind of trespassed this place so he felt like he had to take this responsibility. Although some of the stuff here was just too big for him to move not just once, but twice. 

Looking at Bumblebee struggling with the game machines made Breakdown let out a snort. The place was definitely too big for a bot like Bumblebee, especially when there were only two of them here. Breakdown never actually realised how big the Stunticon’s hideout was, or anything in here was. There were berths at one corner of the base, and they were already twice as big as Breakdown. He thought to himself, if Bumblebee made it to the team, they could even share one berth and it would still have space for stretching their legs. 

Why did he think about sharing a berth anyway?

Didn’t matter. They only got a few cycles left to clean until others stormed in here. Gotta make haste. But talking to Bumblebee was so amusing. Breakdown didn’t want it to end either. The yellow bot sure loved to talk, his blue optics sparkled every time his voice box working. The topic moved from racing to working to anything that happened in their life. Breakdown didn’t know he could also chat about pretty normal things, aside from gossiping around with his gang. From all the talk, he knew that Bumblebee worked for the post office and he had just finished his shift half a cycle before starting to come here, lived in an apartment near the construction site (he told Breakdown that he met a really cool red and blue bot who was kind-hearted and had a lot of hopes and dreams), or the fact that he only needed a few amount of Energon to function for a whole week,...

Breakdown mainly listened, but wasn’t bored out. It felt rather weird, but peaceful. The last time he heard someone talk this much was when Wildrider was pissed off by some mech who, he said, broke his side view mirror (Breakdown was pretty sure Wildrider messed with them first), and at some point of the story, Breakdown just shut down his audials. Well, not this time of course. It was also funny that Bumblebee kept turning around to see if Breakdown was listening, and sometimes apologized for talking too fast. Breakdown just chuckled and gave him a sign that he was still catching up everything he said. Just like the first time they met after the race.

“Oh yeah, I have to tell you something. You still listening there?” Bumblebee asked when he finished talking about his previous delivery trip.

“Hm? Of course. What is it?” Breakdown looked back at Bumblebee, placing the last cupboard back to its original position. He came and sat down beside the other bot in the room.

 “Did you know that you sent me the wrong address?”

“... Pardon?” Okay now this was the first surprise Breakdown received today.

Bumblebee opened his arm display. With a few taps, he scrolled back to the message that had the coordinate of their racing spot today. Or what it should be. He gestured Breakdown to lean closer to the screen. 

“Here.” Bumblebee pointed to the number on the coordinate. “This coordinate leads to the other end of this street. You accidentally typed 73A instead of 27A. And you didn’t even recheck.”

Ah… Scrap… Breakdown face palmed himself. The result of typing when he was too excited. It was not even the first time he made this mistake. One time he got the whole gang separated because he sent each of them different coordinates. No, that was because the screen and the keyboard were too small, he blamed. He was a big bot after all!

But wait…

“Sorry but… how did you know you were at the wrong place?” Breakdown confused. “I mean… What made you think that I’m not there? And how did you find out the correct one?”

“Simple.” Bumblebee closed the channel then openned the map of the current location. He took a deep in-vent, like he was preparing for a speech in front of the High Council. This got Breakdown a little bit nervous. “First of all, you said you were underground, near the sewer system. This location you sent me led me to a place with no underground channel. I’ve checked it before when I first arrived at this area for, of course, deliveries. Don’t ask why I know. The underground sewer system starts here-” He pointed on the map, his digit placed in the middle of the road then traced in the opposite direction of the previous location. “- and spreads until here, under this building. That’s why I know you messed up the coordinate.”

Bumblebee halted Breakdown before he had a chance for a question. He was not done yet. “Second, even if you didn’t know you were underground or not, the location you sent led to a cemetery. I don’t really think you’re idiotic enough to race there. Besides, there were no signs of bots there. I checked.”

How many places have you checked???

Whatever the answer, Breakdown had to admit, he really forgot that cemetery. Young bots didn’t really have anyone to mourn for. After all, he came to this area only for the hideout, nothing else was matter.

“That’s… impressive.” Breakdown nearly let out a gasp. “Then, how did you find me?”

Another in-vent from Bumblebee. They were not running race, in fact, but Breakdown already braced himself on whatever explanation he was going to receive. 

“Bots density, sounds and traces, of course. There’re numerous ways to get down here, as well as numerous channels in the sewer systems. So I inspected every each of them by observing the amount of bots around there - which is crucial because you wouldn’t run laps where it is crowded, listening to engines of race cars so that I could narrow the area… Oh yeah, I got really sensitive sensory horns and audials, for your information… And lastly, traces of your tires and footprints. Luckily, I remember what your tracks look like.” Bumblebee then looked away with a nervous grin. “But at some point your traces ran out so I just went where I felt right. And then I got here, the right spot. Not a big deal.”

“Not a big deal?” Breakdown was stunned. After all of the explanations and stuff, that wasn't a big of a deal? Bumblebee searched for him like he was searching for a criminal. And he had done all of those thinking and roaming in like, what, half a cycle after his shift? Breakdown let out an ex-vent. “Y'know, ya couldda just called me to come out and pick you up…” 

Bumblebee startled. His digits tapped together like he just did something guilty. 

He really didn't think of that?

 “Oh riiiight… I could have done that…” Bumblebee scratched his helm. Yes, he didn't think of calling Breakdown for help, at all. “Sorry, bad habit. I tend to do everything on my own. Gotta get lost a few times until you master the way.”

“You sound like a professional stalker. Creepy bug.” Breakdown chuckled, pretended to push himself away from the yellow bot. 

“Hey, I-I'm not stalking anyone!” Bumblebee fussed. “Besides, I prefer the military term which is called “scouting”, thank you very much!”

"So you do have a secret talent to make it up for your size, huh?” 

"Breakdown! Stop that, you aft-hole!”

Breakdown laughed hard. He wouldn't stop. After all, he won the race, and now all Bumblebee could do was throwing fits at him. 

Aside from that, he was truly impressed. To be able to pinpoint someone or something in a short period of time… Damn, imagine playing hide and go seek with Bumblebee. Luckily Breakdown didn't challenge him for a hide-and-seek rematch. He thought he could have lost even if he hid in the well of Allspark. Bumblebee was truly suitable to be a delivery bot, or a scout, if anyone needed one. After all, he did, on his own, make it all the way to Velocitron for deliveries. 

And he found Breakdown that day.

Last night, before their rematch, Breakdown was lost in thought lying flat on the berth. The base of the Stunticons in the night was full of sounds coming from the snoring of the recharging bots, and the still awakening processor of one white and blue racer. He questioned himself. What if they didn't bump into each other that day? 

Well, the fact was that life would be normal. Breakdown would still be doing his deeds, and Bumblebee doing his. They might never cross paths, and would still live their life as usual. That day would be a bad day for Breakdown but eventually, it would pass, and would Breakdown still be racing after that? Yes. Being disappointed in a race didn't mean that he would give up finding a new one. He was just going to be a bit bored out, that's all. His mates would still invite him for a drink after that, he would then sneak out and race again and that was it. It was not like the planet would be destroyed if they didn't meet…

However, Breakdown didn't like normal. Like how he didn't like the audiences at the race who looked at him like he was just a normal wannabe racer. Like how they immediately forgot him when the race was over because he was not someone special. He wanted the thrill, the danger, the fear in those optics on the grandstand that he would beat the aft out of their favourite racers. Aside from the Stunticons, racing was his everything. And he was disappointed. He shouldn't have minded what others thought of him but how could he not? And maybe they didn't think of him at all, although he clearly won the race! The day would pass but the bad memory would linger. Disappointed was not enough, he hated it. 

Then Bumblebee just appeared and recognised him, in both meanings. Breakdown was surprised at how one single tiny bot could cheer him up that quick and suddenly, that day wasn't that down in the dump anymore. Bumblebee gave exactly what he wanted at the right moment, many moments. And now they were racing buddies. It all happened so fast, like how the energon booster had sped them up, that he didn't know what to feel. Surprise came after surprise, like how he didn't know minibots could have boosters, how he could persuade a stranger to race with him, or how he could just sit still and listen to someone talking for that long. It was new and definitely not normal at all. All because this yellow bot found him.

Nothing bad would happen if Bumblebee didn't win the unintended hide and seek match against Breakdown. But something did happen when Bumblebee did manage to seek him out, to both of them. Breakdown found a new friend and Bumblebee found a new hobby. Maybe, in the near future, Bumblebee would also appear on the big tournament, and he and Breakdown would have real competitions. Well, if Bumblebee could improve his skill, of course, and stick to this new joy of his long enough until he could make it to the track. 

There was a saying, everything happens for a reason. Perhaps, them meeting each other and Breakdown teaching him how to race were parts of something big and important in the future. Teaching wasn’t his thing, he was simply… guiding him for his benefits. And with that, Breakdown still thought that he was far from what Bumblebee defined good. He couldn’t read minds, so he was not sure. But there was something he was sure of, that he could lie to Bumblebee but not to himself, that at this moment, he felt comfortable around Bumblebee. 

Although not for long. For today. Text messages stormed Breakdown's HUD saying that the Stunticons were heading back to where he and Bumblebee currently were. A cue for them to depart and call it a day. 

“Scrap. I think you should roll. The others are coming.” Breakdown quickly stood up, followed by Bumblebee. “There's an exit down the hall over there. Just go straight and you'll be back on the ground. And… yeah I think you could handle it on your own once you get outta here.”

Bumblebee nodded, but didn't quite feel right. “Um… Why are you afraid that your friends will meet me? Did I do something wrong?” The fact that Breakdown had been hiding him from his friends troubled him. He had been told about the Stunticons, but briefly. He knew nothing aside from the fact that they were a group of combiner mechs who had known each other since forged, according to Breakdown. Quite reasonable, actually. Bumblebee had just befriended Breakdown not a while ago, he was not close enough to be told everything. Not vice versa. He just told Breakdown nearly everything about him.

But Breakdown was not like Bumblebee. He didn’t even remember the last time he was this careful. Or anytime that “careful” was in his dictionary. “You… won't like them. That's all.” He eventually went short after a klik pause.

“Why? I can handle you well. And if you guys are a group then I assume you guys are somewhat alike.”

“We are not alike.” Breakdown stated with a frown. “Like how they don’t love racing like I do. Or support me in racing as much as you do. Ya never questioned why I ran alone, until you came? Look… I know them better than anyone, which is why you shouldn’t know them. Not now.”

Blue optics stared back at him, widened. “You said like they are bad guys. And you’re still hanging out with them. It conflicts.”

“Because they are. We are.” Just thinking of all the violence his mates could put on Bumblebee made Breakdown shivered. 

“But you don’t seem bad to me. Well, you’re mean, but not bad.”

Breakdown would never believe what he was about to say next. He was not bluffing, either. “That’s because… I care for them. And maybe, the only one who could care among us. We were destined to be a team and we formed a close bond for a while now. I know them too well, that I can’t change them. And I can’t leave them like I can’t stop racing. We’re not alike but I do like causing trouble, messing around with them. Bots of a frame, that’s us. And that’s the reason I couldn’t let you guys meet. Cuz I’m the only one who knows how to care.”

Bumblebee suddenly realized that Breakdown hadn’t talked much when they were cleaning. This is, by far, the biggest Breakdown fact that he earned from his new friend. How good, that they had grown their trust for each other this quick. 

“So what you’re saying…” Bumblebee put a digit under his chin. “... that we shouldn’t meet because you were worried. About your friends. About me. Right?”

Breakdown could feel the smirk slowly forming on the yellow bot’s face. He sighed. “And that’s another reason I can’t let you meet them. We don’t do sentimental, usually.” Breakdown face palmed, but Bumblebee already saw the “don’t tell anyone” written all over his faceplate. 

“Aww I know you’re not bad, you big softie.” Bumblebee beamed. Okay, he earned the right to nickname Breakdown. “Alright. If you care so much then I will leave. For the sake of both of us.”

Usually, it took more than just plain explanations for Breakdown to convince someone to do what he said. That someone there was anyone in his team. Usually, he had to offer something in return. To think that Bumblebee could quickly accept the fact that he would be hidden from Breakdown's friends for who knows how long… Just how nice was Bumblebee? Breakdown thought it might be for the sake of the race. But was it though?

“Jeez… Thanks, Bee.” Breakdown felt like he was being trusted, again. 

“I mean, that wouldn't stop us from competing again, right? Maybe not much since… you would have to spend time with your other friends, too. No actually, you should. After everything you said, they’re important to you. I care for my other friends, too, I get what you mean. So don’t worry about me that much. We could still meet from time to time.” Bumblebee claimed. 

“Yeah… Maybe you’re right.” Not what Breakdown actually wanted, but on the other hand, he couldn’t just race with his new friend everyday. Not only because Bumblebee was quite busy, but also because it would raise suspicions among the Stunticons, about how little they met Breakdown recently. Therefore, he had to control himself from constantly disappearing to hang out with Bumblebee. “And hey, guess we have something in common after all. We both care for someone.”

“Now you admit it!” The yellow bot jumped in excitement. Not like Breakdown was trying to hide it anymore. “I still wanna beat you. So, will there be another race?”

“Of course.” Breakdown chuckled. He was glad that Bumblebee still wanted to race. “I’ll dial you the time and location later. And this time, I’ll double check.”

“You should. But I will still be able to find you even if you mess up, again.” Bumblebee brushed his nasal. Breakdown didn’t know if his work bio included “confident” in it, but it should.

They parted shortly after that. Breakdown watched as Bumblebee’s figure became smaller and smaller, until it disappeared through the exit.

That night, Breakdown found himself among the commotion of the Stunticons. His body was, but his processor was somewhere else. He had been thinking about Bumblebee a lot lately. Not a good sign. Considering the limited amount of time they could meet, he shouldn't pay that much attention to someone he only encountered when racing. They were only racing partners, that's all. 

And look, his close friends were making a mess again. They were playing arm wrestling, and Motormaster had just sent Wildrider flying across the base. It was a fun game. Breakdown should join them. Like Bumblebee had said, they were all important to Breakdown, so he should care for them more than Bumblebee.

That just sounded like someone who wanted to be cared for.

Breakdown never wanted a new recruit, but maybe just this one…

Nope, nope. He already made up his mind a while ago. And it was not like he was going to meet Bumblebee frequently.

___

Unfortunately, the amount of time Breakdown bumped into Bumblebee had increased rapidly after that day. How ironic.

___

One time, Bumblebee just ran across when Breakdown was at his work site, a back alley. The target was already immobilized by his mates so there was nothing much to do anymore. He wandered around just to see a familiar yellow figure slipped through slowly enough for him to immediately panicked and scooped Bumblebee up to another place. 

“Breakdown?! What are you doing here?” Despite being surprised, Bumblebee just sat still on Breakdown's arm. 

“I should be the one who asks that! This place is dangerous. We're on serious business here. You should leave.” Breakdown looked back to see if anyone followed him. He hoped he had distanced both of them far enough. 

It was weird and oddly relieved that Bumblebee didn't ask what they were doing there. “I can't. I got a delivery to handle.” Bumblebee pulled a small package out of his subspace. “The address is across that alley. So please drop me down.”

“Can’t you just postpone it to another day?”

“I’m on a streak, Breakdown.” Bumblebee stated. “And I won’t let your business mess with my business.” He crossed his arm determinedly.

Breakdown knew that he couldn't just say no, or stop Bumblebee from doing his work. He sighed then made a turn back. “Let me escort you, then.”

Carrying Bumblebee was like carrying a sparkling. He didn't weigh much. And he was small enough for Breakdown's frame to shield him. He quickly dashed through the alley and dropped the yellow bot on the other side. 

“Alright, be quick, so I could bring you back, too.”

Bumblebee giggled. “It's like we're playing some spy game.” 

“You said that and you tell me you don't wanna be treated like sparklings.” The smile moved from Bumblebee to Breakdown. The yellow bot immediately flushed over how childish that sounded. “Hurry up. I don’t have all day for you, spy.”

“Urgh, for Primus’s sake, could you just stop doing that for one nano-klik?”

Breakdown watched as Bumblebee ran up into the building. Actually, Bumblebee didn't need to rush, Breakdown would even stay here longer than he had to. It was not like he had to follow his team or something. And their job was even done, as the other was coming out from the alley. The pay was enough for them to spend the whole week.

“Hey Breakdown!” Wildrider yelled. “Whatcha doing there? Let's roll and get some drinks!”

“You guys go ahead. I got some “unfinished personal business” to handle.” 

Imagine when they knew the “unfinished personal business” was just to guard Bumblebee from anything bad happening. Breakdown was really trying to act as normal as possible. 

“Inner jobs, ey?” Drag Strip added. “Well, whatever it is, suit yourself. See ya at the bar.” 

They all drove away shortly after, except Motormaster. He gave Breakdown a suspicious glance, and then transformed to chase the others. Although they had spent nearly their entire life together, Breakdown was still creeped out by their leader. And that glance could mean anything.

Fortunately, Bumblebee came down when they all had gone. What a relief.

“What happened?” Bumblebee tilted his helm. “You look like you just saw a crime scene or something.”

“Well the crime scene would happen if you returned just a bit sooner.” Breakdown shook his head tiredly. 

“Something tells me that I shouldn't ask for details…” Bumblebee wondered whether nervousness was contagious, because he was feeling it right now. “Thanks, anyway.”

“Don't mention it…”

At least the delivery trip was completed and no one got hurt that day. Except the poor target, of course.

___

Another time, Breakdown was taking a stroll around the city when he caught sight of the yellow bot after a turn. Bumblebee was sticking his helm into the display so he didn't notice Breakdown was behind him.

Check one, check two. Breakdown had to make sure he wasn't followed by any of the Stunticons. The coast was clear, so he decided to approach Bumblebee. He moved slowly to not make a sound, and immediately wrapped his arm over Bumblebee's pauldrons. 

The smaller mech startled. “WOAH! Breakdown?!” The strength of Breakdown's grasp nealy made him lose his balance. 

"Got you again, little bug~” Breakdown pulled him back on his pedes. "No deliveries today?”

"Well actually I finished my shift early. So I hit the road to find something to do.” 

“What a coincidence.” Breakdown's servo was still placed on one of Bumblebee's pauldron. Breakdown thought it would have been shaken off. “Hey, if ya free now, wanna have a drink at Maccadam's?”

Bumblebee looked a bit surprised. “Thought you would ask me for a race.”

“C'mon. Racing sure is my thing but I'm not, like, always burning tires. I work, I stroll, I drink,... I prank, too.” Breakdown smirked. “You should see your face just now.”

Bumblebee pouted. "Ha ha very funny.” And now he decided to shake off the servo on his pauldron. Breakdown was always amused by the grumpy side of his little companion. 

"So you wanna come along and relieve some stress?” He asked again.

"I don't know, Breakdown.” Bumblebee hummed. "I don't usually drink.”

"Why? You can't handle high grades?” Breakdown's face looked really punchable right now. “Or you're not old enough for that, little one?”

"Breakdown I swear if we're not on the street right now, I'm gonna kick your aft!” Bumblebee scoffed. “Fine, I'll come. Let's see who is the not-old-enough one, aft-hole!”

Aw man, Breakdown wished he never had to stop teasing this little creature. 

The oil house on weekdays was less of a mess than on weekends. Security even had the time to check the IDs. Of Bumblebee, of course. Even when they got inside, he was, once again, checked by the part-time bartender. Breakdown just bursted into laughter when they did that, earning kicks and punches from the yellow bot.

“It’s rare to see you without the rest of the gang.” Some random bot greeted Breakdown. “And look, you bring along your little brother. Well, have fun you two!” They drifted away shortly after. 

“Little brother?” Bumblebee laid down his half finished energon cube, blue optics shot back at Breakdown. “Is that what you tell people about me?”

“What?” Breakdown sneered. “I didn’t tell anyone, but they had a point, weren’t they? We’re both 4 wheelers, we both love racing, and we both have energon booster.”

“Yeah, we need more to be declared as “brother”, genius. We don't even look alike.” Bumblebee rolled his optics. 

“Whatever you say…” Breakdown held out his cube. “... brother.”

Bumblebee sighed, but laughed, too. Being brothers didn’t seem like a bad idea. He also raised his cube against Breakdown’s. Their cubes clinked. 

___

And, another time, Breakdown was at a casino. Gambling, the game of luck, wasn't his thing, he just got dragged here. The moment he got in there, he chose to sit in a corner with Dead End and enjoy drinks instead. Not choosing to join the game was a good idea, because now his mates were making a ruckus inside someone's property. It started off with some yelling and then threatening to rip faces off. Something about cheating and stealing stuff. Dead End was getting interested in watching the fight, but Breakdown just wanted to get out of here. So he did.

“Where ya heading?” Dead End asked the just standing up mech beside him.

“Out. I'm not gonna sit here and wait for a table to fly into my face. When they're done, call me.” Breakdown then received a servo wave from his companion. His cue for leaving.

It was night time in Iacon, or more precisely, recharge time. The surrounding was pretty quiet, and the light sources were scarce. They mainly came from the night clubs or casinos, like the one Breakdown had just exited from. He picked a random bench and sat down with a cube of Energon he snuck from the bar inside. An ex-vent. Breakdown believed sooner or later the whole gang would be kicked out of there by the manager. He hadn't been involved in any of that, and would not agree to be shamelessly kicked out like parasites. 

So he was by himself now. He liked some of his alone time, like now, feeling the breeze of the night, enjoying the empty street where he could possibly do a lap, watching Bumblebee running around like he was trying to find something…

… Wait, Bumblebee?

Breakdown immediately spat out the Energon he just gulped in. 

Yellow, small, with wings and horns and everything. Breakdown wiped his face with a servo. He knew that it was dark out here but his optics couldn't not be mistaken. It really was Bumblebee. And he looked struggling, as he jumped from one place to another in front of Breakdown, in front of the casino. 

What is he doing around here, at night?

“Bee!” Breakdown couldn't help but notify the yellow bot that he was not the only one here. It startled Bumblebee, again.

“Breakdown? What are you doing here, in the middle of the night?”

“I could ask you the same. Can't believe I've just ran into you again, tho I wasn't even running.” Breakdown had moved from where he sat and came closer to the smaller bot. “I didn't know you're into gambling.”

“Wh-Wha…” Bumblebee widened his optics. “I am not! I'm not the kind of bot who spends shanixes mindlessly on some kind of game of chance.”

"Thought so, too.” Breakdown suddenly felt relieved. Bumblebee looked too pure for any place like this. "And you don't look like someone who would be out here at this time. What exactly are you doing here?”

“I…” Bumblebee ran his digits nervously together for a while, then let out an ex-vent. “I dropped one of my important recorders somewhere out here when I was on a delivery trip this morning. I'm sure it’s around here, because I was in charge of this area today.”

“Recorder? Of what?”

“I-It's jobs related, okay? And I can't afford to lose it.” Didn't know if Bumblebee had noticed, but his faceplate was blushing a bit. Whatever the recorder was, it was definitely not work related. 

And Breakdown was surely curious. What's more, if he had to choose between going back in the casino and taking responsibility for something he hadn't done, and staying out here finding something so small that was also not his, in the dark, that had high chances of already being destroyed, it would be the latter. Besides, as he already stated before, being around Bumblebee felt peaceful. He didn't even know he liked peacefulness until he met the yellow bot. 

“Need a servo?” Breakdown offered. “It'll be faster if there're two.”

“I-It's fine, Breakdown. I can do it on my own.” Bumblebee turned around, hiding his face.

“Aww c'mon... I have nothing to do right now. I promised I won't ask anything about that “recorder” of yours.” Breakdown pleaded. “Just let big brother help you. Whaddaya say?”

The brother trick… did work. Bumblebee sighed. “Alright, but you have to give it to me once you find it, right on the spot.” 

"Gotcha.” 

"And… thank you, in advance.” He added. 

Breakdown just wanted to tease Bumblebee, but ended up being nice. It actually wasn't so bad either.

They did take a great deal of time in finding the recorder. First, it was too small, second, everywhere was too dark, and third, the neighborhood was too large. They had been giving up yet, at least for now. It was that one comic about space pirates and their journey in finding treasures across the universe that Breakdown “accidentally” stumbled upon. He was laughed at when he brought back the comic, his mates found reading comics was so childish, so he had to make up some stories behind it. But the truth was that he really liked the story, though, like when one of the teammates also lost his important jewelry and their crew also spent their whole week chasing the thief who stole it. Like him and Bumblebee right now.

Bumblebee would definitely not laugh at him. He never once. He knew the soft side of Breakdown and was content with it, not mocking it. He got mad easily but never tried to hurt Breakdown. Surely they had just met, but comparing him to the Stunticons… Cheering people up might be part of his nature, his special skill, his finishing move.

And to think Breakdown had been affected by that “move” so many times even though Bumblebee showed up so much later than his other friends…

Looking at Bumblebee right now, rustling and struggling in finding his precious recorder, Breakdown was suddenly in awe about how small Bumblebee was. He knew that, for a long time, but it was just… He felt like he could just pick him up and squeeze him hard, maybe rub on his wings or give him a pat. He felt like he would sleep so soundly if Bumblebee just curled up in his arms on that one so-big berth. He felt like it would be so amazing to have Bumblebee always chasing his tail pipe in races, claiming first and second places in every tournament. 

He felt like his face was burning with all of the looking.

Breakdown was so lost in thought that his digits accidentally pressed on something, or some buttons on something.

:Space log number 127. Solar cycle, 40. Recorder, Bumblebee. Back with more life updates…:

“Woah woah WOAH!!!” Bumblebee dashed through and hastily grabbed the recorder from Breakdown's servo. After a round of jamming and pressing buttons, the recorder stopped playing, and was immediately thrown inside of Bumblebee's subspace. A “phew” escaped from his mouth.

Took a while for Breakdown to process everything, but swiftly, he switched back to his teasing mode, realising what they were looking for the whole time. “So… Diaries, huh?”

“I told you to give it to me when you found it! Not playing it!” Bumblebee flushed hard. Fortunately, he already turned the recorder off before it started to go into details.

“Didn't do it on purpose.” Breakdown raised both of his servos. “But hey, at least you found it. Or should I say, I found it.” 

“Yeah yeah, and I'm grateful, okay?” 

“C'mon. Can't I have a more proper “thank you”?” Breakdown pointed to Bumblebee's subspace. “You can thank me by playing some part of it.”

“Thanks a lot!” Bumblebee turned away. “But not a chance!”

“Why? You recorded something embarrassing?” Breakdown leaned closer. “Is it about me?”

“B-Breakdown, knock it off!!!”

Seriously, Breakdown truly wanted to know whether Bumblebee “wrote” anything about him. 

___

So…

There were so many other times that Breakdown met Bumblebee outside of their scheduled races. Either he was on business, hanging out with the Stunticons, strolling, drinking, gaming, or even on another planet, he would end up catching sight of the yellow bot. Everywhere. Like he was being followed, tailed. He didn't hate it, in fact, he enjoyed Bumblebee's presence. It happened so frequently that Breakdown started to feel something was missing, even when he was with his mates, the whole team. It was like he just thought of Bumblebee and the klik later he appeared out of nowhere, like Primus just forged another “Bumblebee” and sent him up everytime his appearance emerged in Breakdown's processor. 

Breakdown had admitted, he did think a lot about Bumblebee lately. Maybe that's why. Maybe he just unconsciously summoned Bumblebee everywhere he went. Or maybe Bumblebee had put a tracker on Breakdown when he didn't notice. Or maybe they were magnetized, that they can't be separated for too long. 

Whatever it is, it could not explain the burning feelings inside of Breakdown whenever he thought about his so-called partner, brother, racing buddy and rival. Never once in his life did anyone give him that feeling. It was not the same feeling when he was with the Stunticons. It was foreign, it was hot, and it was calm, all swimming in his spark. Suddenly, their relationship wasn't all about racing anymore. To Breakdown, it was just Bumblebee now. They still raced as planned, and Breakdown still won, everytime, but slowly, he felt delighted because it was Bumblebee behind him, losing to him, not any other bots. 

It was like they were actually playing hide and seek now. And Breakdown was oddly trying his best to lose in something. He didn't know being lost was this much comfortable. 

There were images, videos, running in his processor. Bumblebee was smiling at him, pointing to him and saying something out loud.

“Found you!”

For the record, Breakdown never once fell off the track, or anywhere in his life. 

But it seemed like his spark had fallen, for someone.